A History of Tobacco in China

Posted: January 14, 2014 | Author: Pundit Planet | Filed under: Art & Culture, Asia, China, Global, History | Tags: Asia, Beijing, China, Emperor Kangxi, Mao Zedong, Ming Dynasty, Qing dynasty, tobacco |2 Comments

Beijing news has a unique multi-page feature with rare illustrations, photos, and informative texts about the history of tobacco in China. The images load slowly (mileage may vary) but it’s worth every moment. Here’s a sample:

Qing Dynasty (AD 1644–1911) Emperor Kang Xi

China’s anti-smoking movement was first recorded in 1639, when Ming Dynasty (AD 1368－1644) Emperor Chongzhen issued a national ban on tobacco and stipulated that tobacco addicts be executed. In 1637, Qing Dynasty (AD 1644–1911) Emperor Kangxi expanded the death penalty to those who possess tobacco.

An advertisement for Shanghai’s Meili brand cigarettes in the 1920s.[Photo/tobaccochina.com]

Advertisements featuring fashionable courtesans, or sing-song girls of Shanghai around the 1920s testified that the imported habit was trendy in what was then one of Asia’s biggest cities.

The chairman and his cigarette lighting fans, 1957. [Photo/xinhuanet.com.cn]

Although civilians were banned from the puff of pleasure, China’s top leaders in the older generation took up the practice with gusto. Mao Zedong was often pictured with a cigarette in his hand, as in this 1957 shot of him meeting deputies from the Third National Congress of Chinese Communist Youth League, who appear to be vying to offer him a light.

Hop on the medium-speed China network cable, slip into you smoking jacket, order a cocktail, and check out tobacco history in China.

Beijing news